Cholera Around the World: Africa, Haiti and Southeast Asia

Cholera is preventable and treatable — yet it kills tens of thousands of people worldwide every year. Those at highest risk live where there is no safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

Image from CDC’s page.

Africa

Cholera remains a major cause of illness and death in many African countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and Mozambique. A higher share of people with reported cholera die in Africa than on other continents — a sign of poor access to basic health care, since most cases can be treated with simple rehydration therapy.

Haiti

Haiti’s first confirmed cholera outbreak came in 2010, after an earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and displaced another one million. CDC has worked with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population and other partners ever since to control and prevent it.

After more than three years without a case, the government reported a new outbreak in October 2022. Keys to controlling it:

• better water and sanitation systems
• stronger tracking of cases
• targeted use of oral cholera vaccines

Southeast Asia

The Southeast Asia region, including Bangladesh and India, has the largest populations at risk. Poverty and crowded living make outbreaks more likely, and frequent widespread flooding can contaminate water sources and force people from their homes.

Sources

Based on "Cholera Global Snapshot," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.